House Carwyn

House Carwyn has held the throne for at least 500 years. They were the first to unite the Kingdom, and the first that the other nobles and land holders swore fealty to.

The Carwyns claim descent from “the original” rulers of the land. It is through the magic of their bloodline that they have been able to hold the country together for so long.

The history of the first King is now considered legend. The storytellers claim that an ancient prophecy warned of a time of great darkness, when powerful magical creatures ruled over the nine kingdoms. Only a great hero could prevent this darkness. When the kingdoms were at their most fractious a race of creatures descended on the land and it seemed that all would be lost. But Aelfric Carwyn, then the ruler of a relatively minor kingdom, persuaded the nine princes to unite under one banner. By joining with the land itself he was able to push back the creatures. He was declared King and his reign was a time of great peace and prosperity. The nature of the creatures that threatened Reyern is lost in the mists of time, but the legend is sometimes used by malcontents to justify the oppression, or even hunting, of magical creatures.

The magic of the Carwyn family is usually called Royal magic. It seems to specifically affect those who are born in Reyern or whose ancestry makes them subjects of the King. Those born in Tai U Gin or the Menmeyari Empire are unaffected by Carwyn magic, though Menmeyari royalty have a similar magic in their bloodline.

The Mer, Dragons and Unicorns seem immune to its direct effects, although it has been a long time since any King was unwise enough to try imposing their will on the other races this way. Shifters are not immune. It is not known whether this is because their blood is intermingled with that of humanity or because they have long considered themselves to be Reyerni.

Not all Carwyns are born with the talent, but those without it are barred from the throne. The crown has occasionally passed to a second or third son when the elder brothers were unable to demonstrate the ability. The magic is not limited to one gender and Carwyn ladies with the talent are sought after brides.

Nominally, all land in Reyal belongs to the Crown and so the Carwyns do not hold a principality. In practice this would leave the Crown without any direct revenue and so the lands in the North East of Reyern, between the principalities of Larrisant and Shimmer, are under direct Crown control.

The young King and most of the immediate family were killed during the attack on the coronation. The King had no sons and none of his gifted brothers survived the slaughter. As things stand there are no known male Carwyns with Royal magic.

Their heraldry and hence the Royal banner is a purple shield with a silver tower surrounded by eight silver swords